Live data from Hacker News

LG is getting out of the mobile phone business

axios.com

651–660 of 700 posts

Re: LG is getting out of the mobile phone business

#651
Obviously, I am disappointed by that outcome: I've used several G-line phones and currently using V30 (I was slightly disappointed by it compared to G6, but it's still much better than anything else I could find). And, honestly, didn't consider switching, because despite how much I dislike LG phones, I hate all other phones I know much more.

But what's more important, I very strongly suspect it's a wrong decision. Yes, they don't care about making me happy, they care about making money, and it's a fact, that their mobile division only loses money. And I do understand, that my phone preferences might be somewhat different from average, so I accept the hypothesis that these aren't "best for everyone". But either way, these are not bad phones. Especially if you skip the weirdest models like G5 (which I also skipped). In fact, their weirdest decisions always seemed like am attempt to answer the question "what are we doing wrong?". And it still seems obvious, that the only possible answer is marketing. Uber-popular samsung flagships never were really better than LG flagships (and for me they are actually worse), but the real and obvious difference were huge samsung billboards all across my city. And I honestly don't remember a single one by LG. Not to mention (obviously) sponsored reviews and posts on all meme-websites like 9gag every time Samsung made a new phone. No surprise they were selling better even at higher prices. And even today I saw a lot of "TIL: LG had a mobile division" posts.

So if I am right, and the problem is their marketing, getting out of mobile business must mean that they didn't learn the lesson. And if so, what good should we expect from whatever new divisions they'll make?

Re: LG is getting out of the mobile phone business

#652

Earlier quoted context omitted.

bad parenting -> unfettered access to advertising influences

Not sure why this is getting down voted, I think one can articulate why giving children unfettered access to advertising content is probably bad parenting advice. Advertising is almost always a thread of a lie, so reducing exposure to that until children are more mature is probably a good idea.

My guess is the Venn diagram of parents letting advertisers raise their children and HN users is not two disparate circles...

Re: LG is getting out of the mobile phone business

#653

I can only think of a few reasons that LG couldn't make it, and none of them are enough to sink a brand: * Lack of updates * Occasionally non-flagship hardware * That Nexus issue many years ago Their UI is better than Samsung. They're less intrusive than samsung. Their flagships are usually pretty good and come at good discounts soon after release. I have an S21 now, and the number of bloatware samsung apps has me wa…

If you want minimal bloatware with Android, why not get a Pixel? I've the Pixel 3a for 2 years now. It's the longest-lasting smart phone I've ever had, and there are no indications that it is falling over. The 4a is 6" and has a headphone jack.

Because Pixel is not available in most countries, including more than half of Europe. I had the Nexus 5x, I wanted a Pixel and the only option was the gray market at double the price.

Re: LG is getting out of the mobile phone business

#654
post #6

This is actually very very bad. Google's lack of focus/vision w.r.t Pixel all but guarantees that Samsung can eat up the whole high end android phone market. Samsung's desire to stuff so much garbage unto their phones that they are molasses-slow even with the fastest mobile SoCs available to them all but guarantees that for most users, android will remain a huge mess. As an android user, this saddens me.

I dunno. I think Google's new focus on the mid range is where it is at. Got a Pixel 4a 5G and it's a great phone (after the major missteps of the 3 and 4 with their hopeless battery life). To me, I don't see what I'm missing going up from the 4a to a high end Samsung at twice the cost. Maybe a 90Hz display and a slightly faster CPU/GPU, which seem very marginal. I think if Google doubles down on its mid range strateg…

I had a Pixel 3. Great phone - no battery life issues until 2 years (which was very annoying).

Pixel 4a and 5 were very disappointing to me. I could accept the mid-range hardware, but the lack of a camera update and especially better zoom camera options made me abandon them.

Re: LG is getting out of the mobile phone business

#655

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not sure there's any phone provider that has security updates available the same day that Google releases them, or very quickly at all. I remember the last Samsung phone I had, S7 edge, I went months without updates. Unfortunately, if security is a top priority, your best choice at 1st party phones like Google's Pixel or the iPhone. I used to use Xiaomi's flagship and it seemed to have fairly regular updates, but…

I am sure you'll end up retiring your pixel 4a far sooner than it will become unusable due to wear and tear due to Google's ridiculously short support term :/ I believe my next phone will be a glorious fruit device, probably a second hand one.

It's good for a minimum of 3 years of updates and tech support, or 18 months after it is last sold by Google, whichever is longer. That's plenty for me, I usually flip my old phone on eBay and use that towards a new one ever 1-2 years.

Re: LG is getting out of the mobile phone business

#656
post #445

Very sad. I found the perfect smartphone for me - the V20. It almost feels like a smartphone that happened by accident and will never return in its glorious form again. Dont know what else to use if it dies. Already have a spare Screen and its 4th Battery ready to be used. The second screen is just the perfect solution for having an allways on display without a real (and stupid) notch. I love this feature. Also knock…

My first (and apparently last, now) LG phone was a V30. It's currently my main driver and I have no plans to get rid of it. It has expandable storage, a headphone jack, a full screen with a very thin chin and forehead, a decent camera, loud speakers, a good fingerprint reader, FM radio, a battery that still gets me through a full day easily, and almost everything I want from a phone at what was a very competitive pri…

https://lineageos.org/ ?

Re: LG is getting out of the mobile phone business

#657
post #493

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Even after explaining there is more to Android than just Samsung they don't seem to care because their view seems to be based on what advertisements they watch. Fashionistas see you the same way when it comes to clothes. Car people see you this way about cars. Furniture people about furniture. Photography nuts about photo gear, knife people about kitchen knives, restaurant critics about restaurants, and the list go…

that's fine, but why bother asking someone knowledgeable if you're just going to ignore their advice? an audiophile will be disappointed if you ask for a headphone recommendation and say your budget is only $50, but they will probably still suggest a good model for the price.

Sometimes all you need is a little validation from your friend that you made a decent decision.

Re: LG is getting out of the mobile phone business

#658
post #625

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are misinformed. It works exactly identically as it does on iPhone.

Samsung added a separate hardware button for Bixby, Apple did not. That is not identical. The only buttons on the iPhone are power, volume, and the silent switch. There is no separate Siri button. I’m not sure what you’re disagreeing with here?

There is no separate Bixby button either on Samsung phones. It is a side button that locks unlocks the phone and activates Bixby when held. It is identical to how it works on iPhones.

Re: LG is getting out of the mobile phone business

#659

Earlier quoted context omitted.

By the way, there is a great call recorder in F-Droid. If your phone doesn't have built-in support, you can always get it there.

Can you please name the app? I've tried all I could find on Oneplus 2 & 6 but couldn't get the call recording working.

The one I've tried is called "Call Recorder".

Re: LG is getting out of the mobile phone business

#660
post #625

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Samsung added a separate hardware button for Bixby, Apple did not. That is not identical. The only buttons on the iPhone are power, volume, and the silent switch. There is no separate Siri button. I’m not sure what you’re disagreeing with here?

There is no separate Bixby button either on Samsung phones. It is a side button that locks unlocks the phone and activates Bixby when held. It is identical to how it works on iPhones.

> There is no separate Bixby button either on Samsung phones.

Huh. As a longtime Samsung owner, I’m surprised that the dedicated Bixby Button added alongside the existing power and volume buttons with the S8 generation is an illusion.

Post reply on HN